Vacation continues

On Friday, we got up bright and early at 7:30 AM. Sadly, we didn’t get a great night’s sleep because the room was warm and the bed was super soft. By 8:30 AM, we were all packed up, and Judy whipped up a yummy breakfast of eggs, potatoes, fruit, and rye toast. It was absolutely delicious!

At 10:30 AM we headed to Fayetteville. There was little traffic until we reached Bentonville, where we faced about 4 miles of slow-moving vehicles. Just after 2:00 PM, we stopped at Lake Fayettville Park to explore the area and the bike trail around the lake. Although it was just over a five-mile ride around the lake, there were very few waterfront views, and it was hilly!

We got to Leslie’s around 3:50 PM, right when Deacon hopped off the bus. I unpacked and had a blast playing with Deacon while Shelley and Leslie went to grab Sawyer and Leighton from school. We even built a marble run tower that was taller than him, but it took a tumble before I could snap a picture!

The kids were thrilled to have us both there and immediately started building with blocks and playing games inside. After an hour, Taylor prepared some brats for dinner, which turned out to be quite tasty. For dessert, there were Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Almond Ice Cream Bars and cookies.

After dinner, the kids dashed outside to kick a soccer ball and bat a baseball. I even took a quick 20-minute break to be the ultimate tickle monster, which totally wore me out! By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, we were all beat and decided to call it a night. Taylor, however, stayed up a bit longer to catch the Razorback vs. LSU baseball game, which was delayed by four hours.

I was up at 5:30 AM, struggling to fall asleep. Leslie was awake, and we chatted until 7:00 AM when everyone else was up. I suggested we visit the Rolling Pin Cafe, a small local breakfast spot. Established in 1993 by Gayle Teague, the cafe serves Southern favorites. Leslie and the kids loved it, and when we arrived, the kids knew what they wanted—outstanding biscuits with sausage gravy. Sawyer also loved the biscuits with chocolate gravy.

After breakfast, we visited the Fayetteville Farmers Market, a popular destination for both locals and visitors. It celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023! As the oldest farmers market in Arkansas, it has over 70 vendors each season. All vendors are carefully screened and must source or produce their items within a 60-mile radius of Fayetteville. It’s a truly hyper-local market offering a variety of seasonal vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs, cheeses, fresh-cut flowers, baked goods, honey, and jams. We picked up some sourdough cookies, which were unique and very sweet.

The Farmers Market covers four blocks surrounding the beautifully landscaped town square.

 

When we returned, we were tired and needed some rest, although Grammy took a quick Pokémon class from Deacon. I was excited for the SEC Softball final between Oklahoma and Texas A&M, but it was canceled due to rain. The rest of the day was spent playing baseball and other games.

For dinner, Taylor made smoked bologna. I had never tried it before, and it was pretty tasty. We consumed it like a burger with lettuce, mayo, and tomato on a bun.

Smoked Balogna

It was 9:00 PM when we all were ready to call it a day. Shelley had been working nonstop, and she really needed a break! She exclaimed that this was a perfect example of why she needed a week of rest after spending so much time with the Grammys.

Carry on my friends!